Inspiring creative minds

FINDLAY — The Findlay High School (FHS) Art Camp is celebrating its 10th year with over 240 students enrolled. Camp runs from June 9-13, 9am to 3 p.m. each day. Since 2014, the annual summer camp has grown exponentially, starting with 42 campers compared to 243 today. Camp activities include a wide range of visual art experiences, serving students from preschool to eighth grade. Director of FHS Art Camp and art educator for Findlay City Schools Jason Wagner created the camp after working as an art director for a youth camp in upstate New York. Inspired by his time there, he wanted to bring a similar program to Findlay. "I was already an art teacher in the district and I was thinking that we needed some sort of opportunity like that here in our community," Wagner said. "Originally, I was going to try to open an art center in downtown Findlay, but the former superintendent Dean Wittwer said that I had a phenomenal facility at Findlay High School and that I really should consider taking advantage of that space to start my camp. After that, the FHS art camp was born." Campers rotate through a daily schedule with activities varying based on the age group. Activities include ceramics, painting, photography, and printmaking. In recent years, the program has even included baking competitions and welding. Certified art teachers from across Ohio, from Findlay Schools to Cincinnati, will be instructing classes. "We have a stellar group of instructors who really believe that the arts are important for kids to express themselves and let their talent shine with something other than a ball," Wagner said. High school student volunteers will also be assisting as counselors and teaching aides, most of which were previous campers themselves. "The camper transition to counselor is really awesome," Wagner said. "Seeing the campers transition into the counselors, you can see that they take a great deal of pride in being at camp." Each day begins in the school auditorium, where students are broken into assigned groups. In previous years, campers would attend field trips to art institutions such as the Toledo Museum of Art and the Mazza Museum. Guest artists are also featured to speak to students and aid in workshops. The camp concludes on Friday, June 13 with a pizza party. Later in the day, families will be invited to a reception featuring the student's artwork from throughout the week. "The parents at the end of camp, you can tell that they really understand the amount of time and energy it took for me to put this event together," Wagner said. "I am rendered speechless every year and feel very emotional at the end because of all the parents thanking me." To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Wagner said student volunteers will be serving as social media coordinators, videographers, and camp photographers to enhance camp coverage. Posts will be shared on the camp's Instagram, at @fhs_art_camp. "Our tagline is, 'Inspiring Creative Minds,'" Wagner said. "We're trying to inspire kids to think creatively and to solve problems by thinking about things from a different perspective."